Customizable waffle concept to match all December donations to Graham’s Foundation in support of parents and families with premature infants
The timeless adage “Don’t mix family and business” simply doesn’t apply for Dallas-based Press Waffle Co.
“We are a family-owned and operated business,” said Press Waffle Co. Co-Founder Bryan Lewis. “So, when deciding how to give back this holiday season, it was only natural to look for something that resonated personally with our whole family.”
Family is at the core of Press Waffle Co.’s humble beginnings. Bryan Lewis and his brother Caleb Lewis started the company as a food truck in 2016 after other members of their family chipped in money to get them on the road. After appearing earlier this year on ABC’s hit show “Shark Tank,” the company received an investment from Barbara Corcoran to expand their business across the country. Now, the brothers have grown their specialty waffle company from a food truck to four stores in just three years.
Co-Founder Caleb Lewis said they their success is rooted in the support from their family. While he and Bryan run the day-to-day business, their whole family is in it together, which is exactly why Press Waffle Co. is giving back to other families this holiday season.
“For us, the goal has never been just about the number of stores we have, it’s been about what we can do with this business to make a difference,” Bryan Lewis said.
That’s where things get personal this December for Press Waffle Co. The innovative waffle company has committed to matching 100% of all customer donations to Graham’s Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides support and resources to parents and families with prematurely born infants.
Bryan Lewis and his wife Rachel Lewis gave birth to their first daughter, Lainey, in April of 2017.
“When my daughter was born, her footprint was the size of a Starburst,” Bryan Lewis said. “Nothing can prepare you for that. There is no baby book out there that tells you what it is going to feel like when your child spends the first 135 days of its life in the hospital.”
“She was born four months early and only weighed one pound and four ounces,” Rachel Lewis said. “In fact, most hospitals won’t even consider delivering a baby until 24 weeks into the pregnancy, which is exactly when Lainey was born.”
The couple had already dealt with two pregnancy losses and over two years of infertility treatments.
“These things are way more common than anyone realizes,” Bryan said. “Infertility, loss or premature birth affects so many families. But nobody talks about it. There is still a kind of stigma about these things that they are too personal to make public. So, a lot of couples are dealing with this in isolation. That’s why we love organizations like Graham’s Foundation, which is coming alongside these parents to make sure they know they are not alone.”
“We were lucky to have all of our family here in town, at the hospital with us every day, and helping us through the experience,” Rachel said. “But so many families don’t have that. They either live far away from family, or the people in their life simply don’t know how to help someone going through the unexpected reality of a preemie birth. Graham’s Foundation knows what these families need. They know how to support and comfort them, and how to give them hope.”
The customizable waffle concept is inviting all of its loyal fans and customers to work with them this season to raise money for Graham’s Foundation.
“We have integrated a donation specific button on all of our registers,” Bryan Lewis said. “So, at every checkout for the month of December, guests will have the opportunity to simply add a donation to their checkout amount. And then we will match 100% of those donations to support these families through the holiday season.”
Bryan and Rachel Lewis now have two healthy daughters, Lainey and her new sister Emmy, who was also a preemie baby, and they live in Richardson, Texas.
“Watching Lainey grow up has been incredible,” Caleb Lewis, a proud uncle, said. “Obviously, Bryan and his wife were most affected through Lainey’s journey, but our whole family loves that girl to pieces, and her story has had a big impact on all of us. So, we are all very excited about being able to support other families going through the same thing, and hoping that they get to experience the same joy of coming out on the other side of a premature birth with a beautiful little niece, or daughter, that is living life to the fullest.”
While the company would love for guests to come into their store to make a donation, there is also a donation link on its website, where Press will also match 100% of the amount raised. Visit www.PressWaffleCo.com for more details. You can visit Press at any of its four locations – in Plano’s Legacy Hall, Fort Worth’s Food Hall at Crockett Row, Baybrook Mall in Friendswood (Houston), and its newest in Oklahoma City’s The Collective Kitchens + Cocktails.
To learn more about Graham’s Foundation, visit www.grahamsfoundation.org.
Press Waffle Co. – A New Way To Waffle.
